Top of the Lake

Top of the Lake
Genre Drama
Created by
Written by
  • Jane Campion
  • Gerard Lee
Directed by
Starring
Composer(s) Mark Bradshaw
Country of origin
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes

(list of episodes)

Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Philippa Campbell
Location(s) Queenstown, New Zealand
Cinematography Adam Arkapaw
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time
  • 60 minutes (BBC Two, BBC UKTV)
  • 45 minutes (Sundance)
Production company(s)
Distributor
Release
Original network Sundance Channel
Picture format HDTV
Audio format Surround
First shown in United States
Original release 18 March 2013 (2013-03-18) – present (present)
External links
Website
Production website

Top of the Lake is a mystery drama television series created and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee, and directed by Campion and Garth Davis. Its first season aired in 2013, with the second season, entitled "China Girl", set to air in 2017.[2] It marks Campion's first work for television since An Angel at My Table in 1990. Filmed and set in New Zealand, the series follows a detective (Elisabeth Moss), and the first season deals with the investigation of the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl. Top of the Lake was co-produced for BBC Two in the UK, BBC UKTV in Australia and New Zealand, and Sundance Channel in the United States.[3][4]

Cast

Season one

Main cast

Supporting cast

GJ's group
Matt's men
  • Ben Barrington as Terry
  • James Blake as Shotover
  • Byron Coll as Penguin
  • Cohen Holloway as Mike
  • Oscar Redding as Sarge
  • Edwin Wright as Scuzz
Tui's friends
  • Luke Buchanan as Jamie
  • Sam Dickson as Jase
  • Connor Olivia Moore as Kayla
  • Layne Opetaia as Daniel
  • Alice Ward as Gemma
The Police Department
Additional characters
  • Edward Campbell as Putty, the "village idiot".
  • Lauren Dawes as Mandy, Johnno's girlfriend.
  • Erica Englert as Narelle, Matt's housekeeper.
  • Mirrah Foulkes as Simone, Jamie's mother.
  • Dra McKay as Delia, Tui's teacher.

Season two: China Girl

Elisabeth Moss returns as Robin Griffin with new cast members Gwendoline Christie and Nicole Kidman.[2]

Production

Season 1

Actress Jennifer Ehle auditioned for the role of GJ, which went to Holly Hunter. Jane Campion originally offered the role of Robin to Anna Paquin, who had worked with her before on The Piano (1993). Paquin declined due to her pregnancy, and the role went to Elisabeth Moss.[5]

The series was originally intended as a co-production with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, but the network pulled their funding when American-born Elisabeth Moss was cast in the lead role.[6] Australian-based channel UKTV, owned by BBC Worldwide, filled the funding gap left by the ABC.[7] Philippa Campbell was the New Zealand-based producer.

Filming took 18 weeks and was shot entirely on location in Queenstown and Glenorchy, in New Zealand. While Queenstown is referred to during the series, Glenorchy doubles as the fictitious town of Laketop. The scenes in the women's commune were filmed at Moke Lake.[5]

Season 2

In early 2013, series co-creator Jane Campion said that season one of Top of the Lake comes to a distinct ending and there would be no additional seasons.[8] Despite this, it was announced in October 2014 that the series has been renewed for a second season.[9] In season two, which will be set and filmed in Sydney, Australia,[10] Griffin will investigate a case in Harbour City, Hong Kong. Shooting began in December 2015.[11]

Jane Campion returned as co-writer and co-director along with Gerard Lee. The co-director of season 1 was replaced by Ariel Kleiman due to scheduling conflicts.[12] Actress Nicole Kidman has joined the cast for season 2, which is the second time she has worked with Campion.

Release

The first season screened in its entirety at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, in January 2013, as a miniseries. Sundance screened the series as a seven-hour program with one intermission and one lunch break; it was the first miniseries ever screened at Sundance.[13] Top of the Lake was additionally shown at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.

The series premiered on the Sundance Channel in the United States on 18 March 2013,[14] in Australia on BBC UKTV on 24 March 2013,[15] and in New Zealand the next day (25 March), also on BBC UKTV.[16]

Episodes

Sundance Channel

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Episode 1"Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee18 March 2013
In the small town of Laketop, New Zealand, a young girl named Tui Mitcham tries to drown herself in a lake. After she is rescued, a school nurse notices that Tui is pregnant. Robin Griffin, a police inspector from Sydney who specializes in working with children, is called to interview Tui at the police station.
2"Episode 2"Garth Davis with Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee18 March 2013
Robin encounters two women from Paradise. They tell her Tui was with them the day before she disappeared but was gone in the morning. Robin organizes the local authorities to search for Tui. During the search, Robin walks into the lake and has a vision of Tui doing the same, the latter clenching her fists in the water.
3"Episode 3"Garth DavisJane Campion & Gerard Lee25 March 2013
Matt Mitcham goes to Paradise and sits in on a session with GJ, the enigmatic leader of the camp. In a mocking tone, Matt asks the group about the human mind. GJ tells Matt that the human mind schemes. Later, Al meets Matt in the middle of the lake for a secret meeting.
4"Episode 4"Garth Davis with Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee1 April 2013
Robin has dinner at Al's ultramodern, immaculate, lakeside house. Robin tells Al she thinks Tui's note, that said "No One", meant there were multiple rapists. Al counsels Robin she is getting too involved in Tui's case, likely because of Robin's own history of having been gang raped, at age 15.
5"Episode 5"Jane Campion with Garth DavisJane Campion & Gerard Lee8 April 2013
Robin asks Johnno what he wanted to tell her about the night she was raped. Johnno describes how he heard Robin screaming and he peed himself. He says he found a latch to get out of the dog cage in the back of the truck but was too afraid to persist in trying to stop the men from raping her.
6"Episode 6"Garth Davis with Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee15 April 2013
Robin reveals to Johnno that she plans to make a case against Matt Mitcham, in hopes of encouraging Tui to come home. Robin shares that she caught Jamie attempting to take Tui with rohypnol, a "date rape" drug that Robin suspects Matt manufactures. Johnno warns Robin against bringing a case against Matt, as Matt's drug business provides much of the town with a livelihood.
7"Episode 7"Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee15 April 2013
Robin goes to work at the police station the next day and tells Al that Matt said he was her father. Matt, certain that Tui could not be pregnant, searches for and finds her with her newborn baby. As he is about to kill the baby, Tui appears and kills Matt. As the final twist, Robin discovers Sgt Parker has been pimping young boys and girls from the barista training, including Tui, to other men for sex.

BBC Two and BBC UKTV

No. Title Directed by Written by Original UK air date UK viewers
(millions)[17]
1"Paradise Sold"Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee13 July 20132.70
Tui's pregnancy is discovered, and the Paradise community moves in.
2"Searchers Search"Garth DavisJane Campion & Gerard Lee20 July 20131.92
Robin's search for Tui begins.
3"The Edge of the Universe"Garth DavisJane Campion & Gerard Lee27 July 20131.57
Robin makes a breakthrough. Over dinner at Al's place he warns her about her past being known.
4"A Rainbow Above Us"Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee3 August 20131.32
Al dismisses Robin from the case. Her passionate affair with Johnno intensifies.
5"The Dark Creator"Garth DavisJane Campion & Gerard Lee10 August 20131.50
Robin is back on the case. Matt gathers troops to hunt Tui down. Tui's friends celebrate her birthday in the mountains.
6"No Goodbyes Thanks"Jane CampionJane Campion & Gerard Lee17 August 20131.72
Matt reveals his secret about Robin, and the investigation concludes.

Reception

Reviews of Top of the Lake have been positive, referring to the series as "masterfully made", "beautiful", "mysterious", "riveting", and "a masterpiece".[18][19][20][21][22][23] It received a score of 86 out of 100 from Metacritic[24] and a score of 93 percent from Rotten Tomatoes.[25]

There were also some less positive reviews. Mike Hale of The New York Times criticized the "elaborately introduced plotlines" and described Tui's disappearance as "less a story element than a metaphor for the kind of armed resistance to male hegemony that constitutes the central idea of Ms. Campion’s body of work."[26] That said, Top of the Lake has also been lauded by feminist critics for its explicit effort to analyse rape culture[27] as well as its radical construction of narratives entirely foregrounding the experiences of single women.[28]

Awards and nominations

AACTA Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2014 Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jane Campion and Philippa Campbell Won
Best Direction in a Drama or Comedy Garth Davis for "The Dark Creator" Nominated
Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama Peter Mullan Nominated
Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama Robyn Nevin Nominated
Best Cinematography in Television Adam Arkapaw for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Won
Best Sound in Television Richard Flynn, Tony Vaccher, John Dennison, Craig Butters, Danny Longhurst and Blair Slater, for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Won
Best Original Music Score in Television Mark Bradshaw, for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Nominated
Best Production Design in Television Fiona Crombie for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Nominated
Best Costume Design in Television Emily Seresin for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Nominated
Best Editing in Television Scott Gray for Episode 5: "The Dark Creator" Nominated

Critics' Choice Television Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2013 Best Movie/Miniseries — Nominated
Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries Elisabeth Moss Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries Peter Mullan Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries David Wenham Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries Thomas M. Wright Nominated

Emmy Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2013 Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Elisabeth Moss Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Peter Mullan Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special Jane Campion, Garth Davis Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special Jane Campion, Gerard Lee Nominated
Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie Episode: "Part 1" Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or Movie Episode: "Part 5" Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2014 Best Miniseries or Television Film — Nominated
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Elisabeth Moss Won

Golden Nymph Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2014 Best Miniseries — Won
Best Actor — Miniseries Peter Mullan Won
Best Actress — Miniseries Elisabeth Moss Won

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Year Category Nominated artist/work Result
2014 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Elisabeth Moss Nominated
2014 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Holly Hunter Nominated

New Zealand Film Awards

Year Category Result Ref
2013 Best Television Feature or Drama Series Won [29]

Screen Producers Australia Awards

Year Category Result Ref
2013 Drama Television Production of the Year Won [30]

Equity Ensemble Awards

Year Category Result Ref
2013 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Miniseries or Telemovie Won [31]

References

  1. ↑ "Top of the Lake". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Nicole Kidman to star in Top of the Lake season 2: China Girl". The Sydney Morning Herald. June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Top of the Lake and Two Mothers selected for the Sundance Film Festival" (Press release). Screen Australia. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  4. ↑ "BBC Two: Top of the Lake". BBC. 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  5. 1 2 "Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake interview". Vulture. 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  6. ↑ "No funding from ABC for Top of the Lake after it learned Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss was in cast". The Daily Telegraph. 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  7. ↑ "David Wenham: "Top of the Lake is ABC's loss"". TV Tonight. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  8. ↑ "Gone Girl: Inside Top of the Lake, Jane Campion's gritty new thriller". The Daily Beast. 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  9. ↑ Robinson, Joanna (2014-10-16). "Top of the Lake Season 2". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  10. ↑ Han, Angie (24 July 2015). "Elisabeth Moss Returning for 'Top of the Lake' Season 2". SlashFilm.
  11. ↑ Shechet, Ellie (23 June 2015). "Season 2 of Top of the Lake Will Take Place in Sydney and Hong Kong". Jezebel.
  12. ↑ Berger, Laura. "Gwendoline Christie Joins Elisabeth Moss for Season 2 of Jane Campion's 'Top of the Lake'". Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Sundance: Campion's Seven-Hour Top of the Lake". Vulture. 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  14. ↑ "Top of the Lake: Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  15. ↑ "UKTV announces air date for Top of the Lake". Foxtel. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  16. ↑ "Jane Campion: Lady of the lake". NZ Herald. 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  17. ↑ "Weekly Top 30's". BARB. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Seitz on Jane Campion's Top of the Lake: A Police Procedural, Masterfully Made". Vulture. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  19. ↑ "Review: Jane Campion's Top of the Lake mysterious, beautiful". Los Angeles Times. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  20. ↑ "David Bianculli's take on Jane Campion's new TV drama: Top of the Lake". NPR Fresh Air. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  21. ↑ "Top of the Lake – first look review". The Guardian. 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  22. ↑ "A view from the Top: A review of Sundance Channel and UKTV's Top of the Lake". Joe Hubris. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  23. ↑ "Review: Jane Campion's Top of the Lake a riveting long-form mystery". Hitfix. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  24. ↑ Top of the Lake at Metacritic
  25. ↑ Top of the Lake at Rotten Tomatoes
  26. ↑ "Pregnant Girl Vanishes, and Story Lines Fork". The New York Times. 2013-03-17. Retrieved 2013-04-18.
  27. ↑ "Top of the Lake: A Non-Watered Down Depiction of Rape Culture". Ms. Magazine blog. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  28. ↑ "Can We Talk About How Damn Good Top of the Lake Is?". Jezebel. 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
  29. ↑ "The 2013 winners of the Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards". Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  30. ↑ "Goalpost Pictures Awarded Media Super Production Business of the Year". Screen Producers Australia. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  31. ↑ Knox, David (27 May 2014). "Equity Ensemble Awards 2014: winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

External links

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